| Rule Number: |
26P007 |
| Title: |
Regulated Introduced Plant Species. |
|
Type:
|
Standard |
|
Status:
|
Final Proposed |
| Agency: |
Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
|
| Legal Authority: |
6 V.S.A. § 1032(1) and 6 V.S.A. § 1 (a) (10) |
| Summary:
| This amendment modernizes the existing Noxious Weed Quarantine, which will be renamed the Regulated Introduced Plant Species Quarantine, by establishing a clearer, science-based, and more flexible process for identifying and regulating introduced plant species of concern in Vermont. The amended rule removes the previous static list and replaces it with a responsive, flexible, and meaningful framework grounded in Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) criteria and review by an advisory group of subject-matter and industry experts. The amendment clarifies prohibited activities, updates definitions, adds best management practices (BMPs) and permitting pathways, and strengthens consistency with federal regulations by incorporating federally regulated plant species under 7 CFR § 360.200. The revised structure improves transparency, regulatory clarity, and enforceability, while supporting prevention-focused management that aligns with Vermont’s ecological, agricultural, and forestry needs. |
| Persons Affected:
| Nursery dealers (including brick and mortar stores, and online retailers selling into Vermont); landscaping professionals, landowners and land managers; aquarists; state and local government entities; construction and earth moving companies; and environmental
organizations. |
| Economic Impact:
| Economic impacts include the costs associated with managing spread through the proposed best management practices and permitting when BMPs cannot be followed. These costs will be borne primarily by entities and individuals engaged in the sale, movement, installation, management, or stewardship of plant materials and landscapes in Vermont. However, preventing introduction and spread will reduce the far greater long-term costs of removal and control if these plant species become established, and will provide associated environmental benefits. |
| Posting date: |
Mar 11,2026 |
